Beirut Outskirts Poverty
Poverty at its highest point is caused by the banking crisis, stealing what people have earned for a lifetime, false promises from the same politicians for decades, devaluation of the national currency, spreading unemployment and dropping salaries, a lack of necessities, especially food and medication, semi-destroyed infrastructure, public drug promotion and addiction, and women selling their bodies for nothing worthwhile. These are the causes of poverty at its highest point. Despite all the above, elections witnessed wide participation and the return of the same faces to power. Here is the dark side of Lebanon.
Starting from a collection of records of people from the southern suburb of Beirut, the video consists of parts, as you can see; each part tackles a different topic. From drugs, prostitutes, thefts, basic needs to live, infrastructure, and poverty caused by sectarianism and the leaders of the country, I see, as do all citizens, that sectarianism has played a significant role in cleaving the link between Lebanese citizens. Prejudice, discrimination, and hatred raise conflicts all the time, depending on the political status quo and what to say when one group holds more power within the government. Then the piece of cheese will not be equally cut, losing many people who are not following any of those political groups. In the name of peace, the major sects were keeping tabs on each other to maintain that balance. This lack of accountability, incompetence, and mismanagement have helped Lebanon rack up over $90 billion in debt, giving it one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios in the world. Leaders are under the religious umbrella and the shield of protecting their sector’s rights, and for more than 40 years, they have been on stage playing the same show, and people are believing in them more and more, regardless of the sh*t we are in. I see the problem in religions in connection to politics. This doesn’t mean that religion or politics independently are wrong. I mean by it being oil and water. Sects leaders are using it for their own, to steal more and use people more to fight under the name of God.
Where I live, in the southern suburb of Beirut, people see this scene every day, every second, but they don’t see it in their brains. Seeing with the brain is not the same as seeing with the eyes. The eyes see, and the brain analyzes, interprets, and takes action. People are blind to the truth or afraid of learning more. You can see this image anywhere in Lebanon, in Tyr, the south, Tripoli, or even in Beirut. In this image, you will see an old woman coming from nowhere, from darkness, from nihilism to nowhere. Holding a bag of food for her family, she doesn’t know if they are still there or if they died in a shooting in the head because of someone’s birth or funeral or died in the Syrian war, or, I don’t know, maybe poisoned food or water in the Al Ghadeer river, or in a crash car, in a street fight, or as revenge. In summer we burn and in winter we drown; this is what she’s saying. Women give birth and burn their kids in this country, on the street, in school, with their friends, in their surroundings, with politics, with religion, and with failure.
A beautiful girl wears a hijab because she cannot do anything else. She is a prisoner in her parent’s home, in her parents’ thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and values of what the shape of life should be and how. Because religion is the answer to all frightening questions, it makes people relax, breathe, and continue living while they wait for something in the hope of a change. Parents pass this on to their children, and they grow up afraid of thinking, asking, discovering, and flying because hell is waiting for them. Nevertheless, sheikhs are not bad at frightening us from God. They can gather an army of people at any second and face them anywhere, just saying a couple of sensational quotes and promising them heaven. This girl is walking in the mess, the mess of life, where all the sh*t is intertwined. No one knows how this entanglement will be solved.
In every scene, on every wall, you will see a poster of a leader. depends on where you are; just change in dress and poster design. Everything else is the same in all the countries in Lebanon. The leader’s image has been stuck in the wall for many years, just as a tattoo is on the chest of each person here. All people know that he didn’t give anything, and if he gives 5 minutes in 40 years, this doesn’t mean he did anything. This image is of a tattoo on the wall, making it hard to remove.
Painted and directed by: Ali Tohme, May 2020
